Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Highway to Heaven, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989. The entire show is currently streaming on Freevee and several other services!
This week, Jonathan and Mark are in Hollywood …. again!
Episode 3.5 “That’s Our Dad”
(Dir by Victor French, originally aired on October 29th, 1986)
Two orphans, Sarah (Kelley Parker) and Joey (R.J. Williams), are upset because they’re about to be split up. A family wants to adopt Sarah but they don’t feel like bringing along her best friend, Joey. Joey and Sarah wish that they could live with Bill Cassidy (Ned Beatty), the star of America’s favorite sitcom, That’s My Dad!
Sarah and Joey run away from the orphanage and end up at the studio at the exact same time that Bill is holding auditions to find a new co-star for That’s My Dad. Sarah and Joey tell Bill about their tragic backgrounds and how they each lost their parents. Bill, thinking that the kids are doing audition pieces, is so impressed that he tells his producer that he wants the kids to be hired immediately. The kids think that this mean they’re being adopted! Yay!
Unfortunately, Bill is a bitter man who, in private, doesn’t behave like the perfect father that he plays on television. Adopt two kids? Why would Bill want to do that!? Fortunately, Jonathan and Mark just happen to be installing a new security system at Bill’s home. Jonathan helps Bill to see that, even though he’s bitter, he could still redeem himself by adopting two random children. The end result is an episode that pretty much epitome of Highway To Heaven, shamelessly sentimental but heartfelt enough to be effective.
This was not Ned Beatty’s first appearance on Highway to Heaven. During the first season, he played two roles in The Banker and the Bum. Beatty does a pretty good job in this episode, playing Bill Cassidy as someone who can be unpleasant but not so unpleasant that his later change of heart doesn’t feel credible. From the first minute we meet Bill, we know he’s going to turn out to be not such a bad guy, if just because that’s what always happens on Highway to Heaven. On this show, even the most unlikable of characters usually achieve some sort of redemption. The main theme is the no one is bad as they originally seem. That’s actually a pretty sweet message when you think about it.
Highway to Heaven did quite a few shows about show business. I’ve read that Michael Landon was something of a workaholic and, as a result, he later felt that he missed out on spending time with his children. Certainly, that would explain why almost every Hollywood episode of Highway to Heaven seems to feature an actor or director who needs to learn to make time for the people in their lives.
Speaking of making time for the people in your life, it’s the holidays. This is going to be my final Highway to Heaven review for 2024. These reviews will return on January 2nd!
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Malibu CA, which aired in Syndication in 1998 and 1999. The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!
This week, I continue I wonder why I ever started reviewing this show in the first place.
Episode 1.21 “Scott’s Secret Dream”
(Dir by Gary Shimokawa, originally aired on April 18th, 1999)
This week’s episode of this terrible show revolves around the local television news. Everyone is looking for a job.
Traycee, for instance, gets a job as the weather girl and spends her time saying that she doesn’t want it to rain in Malibu so she’s decided that it will be sunny instead. The judgmental and humorless station intern is not amused by any of this. Anyone who has watched this show should have little trouble guessing that the intern is Stads.
(It’s kind of sad how, in just a few episodes, Stads went from being the fun, kooky lifeguard to being a hyperjudgmental killjoy.)
Jason is excited because the station is sponsoring a jingle contest. He wants to be a professional songwriter so maybe this could be his chance! Jason does manage to win the contest but he spends so much time working on the jingle that he keeps his brother, Scott, from getting so much-needed sleep.
Scott has a secret dream. He wants to be the station’s sports reporter. (How about finishing high school first, Scott?) Even Stads thinks that Scott would be a good sports reporter. Unfortunately, Scott shows up for his audition exhausted and blows his big chance. The station hires someone over the age of 17 to be the sports reporter.
Fortunately, for Scott, the newly hired sports reporter turns out to be a sexist pig and he’s fired after he follows Jason’s advice and hits on the station manager. (Why is anyone following Jason’s advice about anything?) So, Scott gets another chance to audition but this time, he drinks too much coffee and ends up jumping on the news desk and dancing.
(Because, y’know, that’s something you totally do if you drink a lot of coffee.)
Can Jason and Stads get Scott a third audition? Yes, they can but the way they do it is so stupid that I don’t even want to talk about it. The important thing is that Scott gets the weekend sports job and …. well, I guess he’ll just work as a busboy at the restaurant for the rest of the week.
(I’m starting to think this show isn’t very realistic.)
Meanwhile, Peter is upset because he’s single and he’s taking out his frustration on Murray. So, Murray sends Peter a note from a secret admirer and …. you know what? This is too stupid to talk about. Brandon Brooks, as always, deserves some credit for bringing a touch of genuine sweetness to Murray’s odd behavior but …. no, no, I’m not going to talk about it. This whole subplot was just too stupid. Brandon Brooks and Ed Blatchford were probably the closest thing this show had to genuinely talented actors but the show always wasted them in the dumbest B-plots.
When I first started reviewing this show, I disliked both Scott and Jason equally. As this season has progressed, Scott has grown on me a little because, unlike his brother, he’s not a total sociopath. Scott, at the very least, seems to want to be a good person. Jason, on the other hand, just seems like he’s destined to go to prison for cheating someone out of their life savings.
Thank God, it’s the holidays! This is my last Malibu, CA review for 2024. My reviews of this show will return on January 2nd. Until then, I’m free from the Collins brothers!
Even music videos get special director’s cuts nowadays.
Enjoy!
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing Monsters, which aired in syndication from 1988 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on YouTube.
This week, Monsters tries to be funny and it actually succeeds for once!
Episode 3.2 “Murray’s Monster”
(Dir by Scott Alexander, originally aired on October 7th, 1990)
Murray’s Monster opens with Sherwin (Joe Flaherty) laying on a psychologist’s couch and talking about how much he hates his overbearing wife while Debbie (Teresa Gaznel) takes notes. Debbie suddenly tells Sherwin that they’re out of time because Sherwin has to see his next patient. Sherwin sits up on the couch and Debbie returns to the reception desk. It’s an obvious joke but one that is well-played by both Joe Flaherty and Teresa Ganzel. That’s another way of saying that it made me laugh, even though I saw it coming.
Sherwin’s new patient is Murray (Marvin Kaplan). Murray is nervous and apologetic. He even apologizes for coming to his appointment, offering to come back next week if it’s too much of a bother for Sherwin to see him that day. Murray explains that people have been kicking him around all of his life and he’s sick of it. Sherwin, after telling Murray that he’s less than a man, puts Murray under hypnosis. Sherwin tells Murray to be more assertive. Murray promptly turns into an angry ape-man (Colin Penman). Ape-Man Murray is angry and destructive but, once he calms down, he turns back into Murray.
Frightened at first, Sherwin soon realizes that he can use Murray to his advantage. He invites Murray to have dinner with his wife, Luann (Miriam Flynn). His plan is that Murray will get angry with Luann, turn into an ape, and kill her. Then Sherwin will be free to pursue Debbie. Sherwin’s plan works in that Murray does get frustrated and he does turn into the ape. But, instead of killing Luann, he instead picks her up and runs off with her.
The next day, Sherwin is shocked when Murray and Luann show up at his office. It turns out that, since Murray was sick of people always telling him what to do, Ape Murray decided to disobey Sherwin’s wishes and has instead fallen in love with Luann. When Sherwin gets upset and starts yelling, Murray turns into the ape again. Uh-oh!
(As Luann puts it, “You’re a bad psychologist, Sherwin, because you never listen to your patients!”)
I have to say that I usually cringe whenever Monsters tries to be deliberately funny but this episode actually made me laugh. Joe Flaherty and Marvin Kaplan both had great comedic timing and, even though I saw the final twist coming, the dialogue was still clever enough and the performances sharp enough to hold my interest. This was a good episode. Good for Murray. Good for Monsters!
With the the holidays approaching, this is my final review of Monsters for 2024. My Monsters reviews will return on January 1st, 2025!
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing the original Love Boat, which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986! The series can be streamed on Paramount Plus!
This week, Isaac has a problem! Oh no! Who will man the bar?
Episode 5.10 “Love, Honor and Obey/Gladys and Agnes/Radioactive Isaac”
(Dir by Robert Scheerer, originally aired on November 28th, 1981)
Oh no! Isaac’s radioactive!
Well, no, not in the way that you might be thinking. Before leaving on this week’s cruise, Isaac had some dental work done and his new fillings can pick up radio stations. The only real problem with that is that Isaac likes a passenger named Patty Phelps (Berlinda Tolbert) and Patty likes him, except for when his teeth start playing music. It leads Patty to suspect that Isaac is just pulling a big prank on her and she doesn’t have any patience for that nonsense. Especially when there’s another handsome single man on board (played by Darrow Igus) whose teeth do not pick up radio stations. Is Isaac willing to sacrifice his fillings for love?
Meanwhile, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara play …. well, they might as well just be playing Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. I’ve seen Jerry and Anne on a few of these shows and they always play the same two characters regardless of what their characters may be named. In this case, Jerry and Anne want to renew their wedding vows on the Love Boat. Captain Stubing is happy to oblige but Anne decides that she doesn’t want to vow to “obey’ her husband. Jerry and Anne get into a fight and it looks like the marriage might be over! However, things work out in the end. They renew their vows and then Anne starts bossing Jerry around. It was a pretty simple story but Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were so likable together that it didnt matter. I was happy they stayed together.
Finally, Agnes (Audra Lindley) and Gladys (Marion Ross) are two sisters who are taking a cruise together. Agnes meets and falls for Henry Whitewood (Bernard Fox), who is a genuine English earl! Gladys doesn’t want to lose Agnes and tells Henry that Agnes doesn’t have much money. It turns out that Henry doesn’t have a lot of money either. But he’s willing to sell what little land he does have so that he can refurbish the manor and invite Agnes to be his wife. Awwww! And don’t worry about Gladys. She realizes that the most important thing is that her sister’s happy.
This cruise was a bit on the forgettable side. After last week’s two-hour extravaganza, this week’s episode was rather low-key and almost mild-mannered. It was pleasant without being particularly memorable. I think we’ve all had vacations like that!
Speaking of vacations, the holidays are approaching so this is going to be final Love Boat review of 2024. My reviews will resume on January 1st!
Enjoy!
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Baywatch Nights, a detective show that ran in Syndication from 1995 to 1997. The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!
This week, we wrap up Baywatch Nights.
Episode 2.22 “A Thousand Words”
(Dir by Tracy Lynch Britton, originally aired on May 16th, 1997)
After two seasons of gangsters and monsters, Baywatch Nights ends with yet another haunted house story.
Well, technically, it’s actually a haunted restaurant. Diamont drags Ryan and Mitch to an abandoned restaurant that is said to be haunted. Accompanying them is a researcher into the paranormal, Sarah (Kathy Tragesar). Sarah explains that the restaurant has a long history of strange occurrences. Diamont explains that, recently, two women have been killed and a man left in a coma after entering the restaurant. Diamont thinks that it’s a poltergeist. Mitch, as usual, is skeptical.
*sigh*
Seriously, why is Mitch still a skeptic? I’ve gone into this before but it continues to bother me. After everything that Mitch had seen and experienced over this season, why does he still refuse to believe in the supernatural? Even Agent Scully eventually admitted that Mulder had a point.
Anyway, Ryan vanishes and finds herself in another dimension where she’s menaced by the knife-wielding murderer (John Snyder). The murderer is driven by his relationship with his mother, whose portrait hang around the restaurant and whose painted facial expression changes depending on how determined her son is to kill. (That was actually a nice touch.) Mitch puts a call into his old friend (and season one co-star), Garner Ellerbee. Garner shows up with psychic named Kira (Jazmin Lewis) and soon, Kira is in the other dimension as well….
Long story short, the poltergeist is eventually defeated. Kira and Ryan come back to our world. Mitch says that he loves Ryan. He and Ryan share an embrace and start in on some really passionate kissing. (Woo hoo!) The show ends.
The main problem with this episode is that Mitch and Ryan didn’t really get to do that much. For the most part, Kira did all the work and the episode so focused on her that I wouldn’t be surprised if it was meant to be a sort of backdoor pilot for a proposed series about Kira. As well, the killer poltergeist is scary when he first appears but he becomes progressively less scary as the episode goes on. By the end of the episode, he’s just kind of whiny. As a series finale, this was definitely a bit underwhelming.
That said — hey, Mitch and Ryan kissed! Seriously, I’ve been waiting for that moment ever since I first started reviewing this show. No matter what else one might say about Baywatch Nights, David Hasselhoff and Angie Harmon had great chemistry together. I won’t necessarily miss reviewing this show but I will miss seeing the two of them together.
In the end, Baywatch Nights was a pretty uneven show but it was definitely fun. I think it had potential but I’m going to guess it was doomed by being a part of the Baywatch franchise. People who didn’t like Baywatch weren’t going to watch a version of the show that took place at night. People who did like Baywatch were undoubtedly disappointed by the lack of red swimsuits. The ratings went down. Judging from the final few episodes, the production budget got seriously cut. The Hoff and Harmon were fun to watch but their chemistry couldn’t save the show.
Well, that completes Baywatch Nights! Retro Television Reviews is going on a holiday break but, on January 7th, I will start reviewing a new show in this timeslot! Until then, happy holidays to all the lifeguards out there.
The Chicago Film Critics Association has announced their nominations for the best of 2024! The winners will be announced on December 12 …. hey, that’s right around the corner.
BEST PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
I Saw the TV Glow
Nickel Boys
The Substance
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Jane Schoenbrun – I Saw the TV Glow
BEST ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Keith Kupferer – Ghostlight
BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Léa Seydoux – The Beast
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora by Sean Baker
The Brutalist by Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
Challengers by Justin Kurtizkes
A Real Pain by Jesse Eisenberg
The Substance by Coralie Fargeat
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Beast by Bertrand Bonello, Guillaume Bréaud, & Benjamin Charbit
Conclave by Peter Straughan
Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
Nosferatu by Robert Eggers
Sing Sing by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dahomey
Daughters
No Other Land
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
Evil Does Not Exist
Red Rooms
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Challengers – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Dune: Part Two – Jacqueline West
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Jenny Beavan
Maria – Massimo Cantini Parrini
Nosferatu – Linda Muir
Wicked – Paul Tazewell
BEST EDITING
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Dávid Jancsó
Challengers – Marco Costa
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Eliot Knapman & Margaret Sixel
Nickel Boys – Nicolas Monsour
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer
Nosferatu – Robin Carolan
Wicked – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune: Part Two
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Hundreds of Beavers
The Substance
Wicked
MILOS STEHLIK AWARD FOR BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER
Mike Cheslik – Hundreds of Beavers
Vera Drew – The People’s Joker
Payal Kapadia – All We Imagine as Light
Greg Kwedar – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Lily Collias – Good One
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Brigette Lundy-Paine – I Saw the TV Glow
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
Yesterday, the San Diego Film Critics Society named Sing Sing the best film of 2024! All of the winners and nominees can be found below!
Best Picture
ANORA (1st RUNNER UP)
CHALLENGERS
CONCLAVE (2nd RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO
SING SING (WINNER)
Best Director
Brady Corbet – THE BRUTALIST
Coralie Fargeat – THE SUBSTANCE
Denis Villeneuve – DUNE: PART TWO (WINNER)
Edward Berger – CONCLAVE
Greg Kwedar – SING SING (RUNNER UP)
Best Actor
Adrien Brody – THE BRUTALIST (1st RUNNER UP)
Colman Domingo – SING SING (WINNER)
Daniel Craig – QUEER (2nd RUNNER UP)
Ralph Fiennes – CONCLAVE
Timothée Chalamet – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Best Actress
Amy Adams – NIGHTBITCH (RUNNER UP)
Cynthia Erivo – WICKED
Demi Moore – THE SUBSTANCE
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – HARD TRUTHS (WINNER)
Mikey Madison – ANORA
Best Supporting Actor
Clarence Maclin – SING SING
Denzel Washington – GLADIATOR II (RUNNER UP)
Guy Pearce – THE BRUTALIST
Kieran Culkin – A REAL PAIN (WINNER)
Stanley Tucci – CONCLAVE
Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande-Butera – WICKED (WINNER)
Danielle Deadwyler – THE PIANO LESSON
Jessie Buckley – WICKED LITTLE LETTERS
Joan Chen – DÌDI (RUNNER UP)
Natasha Lyonne – HIS THREE DAUGHTERS
Best Comedic Performance
Aubrey Plaza – MY OLD ASS
Channing Tatum – DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
June Squibb – THELMA (WINNER)
Michael Keaton – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (RUNNER UP)
Ryan Gosling – THE FALL GUY
Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Alisha Weir – ABIGAIL
Alix West Lefler – SPEAK NO EVIL (RUNNER UP)
Elliott Heffernan – BLITZ
Izaac Wang – DÌDI (WINNER)
Katherine Mallen Kupferer – GHOSTLIGHT
Best Original Screenplay
Coralie Fargeat – THE SUBSTANCE
Jesse Eisenberg – A REAL PAIN
Justin Kuritzkes – CHALLENGERS (RUNNER UP)
Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
Sean Baker – ANORA (WINNER)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Sanders – THE WILD ROBOT
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – SING SING (WINNER)
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – DUNE: PART TWO (RUNNER UP)
Malcolm Washington, Virgil Williams – THE PIANO LESSON
Peter Straughan – CONCLAVE
Best First Feature (Director)
Anna Kendrick – WOMAN OF THE HOUR
Dev Patel – MONKEY MAN
Rachel Morrison – THE FIRE INSIDE
Sean Wang – DÌDI (RUNNER UP)
Zoë Kravitz – BLINK TWICE (WINNER)
Best Documentary
DAUGHTERS (RUNNER UP)
MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS
SUGARCANE
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (WINNER)
WILL & HARPER
Best Animated Film
FLOW (WINNER)
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
TRANSFORMERS ONE
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
THE WILD ROBOT (RUNNER UP)
Best Foreign Language Film
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT (WINNER)
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
NO OTHER LAND
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG
VERMIGLIO
Best Editing
Hansjörg Weißbrich – SEPTEMBER 5 (WINNER)
Joe Walker – DUNE: PART TWO
Kathryn J. Schubert – BLINK TWICE
Marco Costa – CHALLENGERS (RUNNER UP)
Sean Baker – ANORA
Best Cinematography
Alice Brooks – WICKED
Greig Fraser – DUNE: PART TWO
Jarin Blaschke – NOSFERATU (WINNER)
Pat Scola – SING SING
Stéphane Fontaine – CONCLAVE (RUNNER UP)
Best Production Design
Craig Lathrop, Beatrice Brentnerova – NOSFERATU (1st RUNNER UP)
Judy Becker – THE BRUTALIST
Nathan Crowley – WICKED (WINNER)
Patrice Vermette – DUNE: PART TWO (2nd RUNNER UP)
Suzie Davies – CONCLAVE
Best Visual Effects
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO (1st RUNNER UP)
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2nd RUNNER UP)
NOSFERATU
THE SUBSTANCE (WINNER)
Best Costume Design
Colleen Atwood – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Jacqueline Getty, Rainy Jacobs – THE LAST SHOWGIRL (RUNNER UP)
Jacqueline West – DUNE: PART TWO
Lisy Christl – CONCLAVE
Paul Tazewell – WICKED (WINNER)
Best Sound Design
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE
ALIEN: ROMULUS
CIVIL WAR (RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO (WINNER)
WICKED
Best Use of Music
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (WINNER)
CHALLENGERS (RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO
SING SING
WICKED
Best Stunt Choreography
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO
THE FALL GUY (WINNER)
GLADIATOR II
MONKEY MAN (RUNNER UP)
Best Ensemble
CONCLAVE (RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO
SEPTEMBER 5 (WINNER)
SING SING
WICKED
Breakthrough Performance
Mikey Madison – ANORA (WINNER)
Nell Tiger Free – THE FIRST OMEN (RUNNER UP)
Special Award for Body of Work
Nicholas Hoult – JUROR #2, NOSFERATU, THE ORDER, THE GARFIELD MOVIE